I’m a international student so use Oklahoma for this work.
The purpose of this assignment is to learn a little about some elected officials that represent you at the local, state, and federal levels. You will name an individual that represents you at each of these three levels, give me a little biographical information on each, explain for me in detail 2 positions each individual holds or 2 issues each individual cares about, then offer your own opinion on how well each of these 3 individuals’ views or priorities match up with your own. You have the option of researching representatives who represent you at your temporary local address or your permanent home address should you have one.
Below are the specific components of the paper that are required as well as some pointers in doing your research and writing.
Mandatory Elements
Local (2 points)—who represents you at the city level?
Requirement: 1 name and short biography
Choice: either your City Council member or your Mayor
State (2 points)—who represents you at the state capital (in Oklahoma or the state you’re writing from)?
Requirement: 1 name and short biography
Choice: either your State Representative or State Senator (do not choose a governor)
Federal (2 points)—who represents you in the US Capitol in Washington DC?
Requirement: 1 name and short biography
Choice: either your US Representative or one of your US Senators (do not choose the President)
Representative Issues/Positions (3 points)
Requirement: explain in detail two positions/issues for each of the 3 people on which you’re writing
Student Position Match (3 points)
Requirement: tell me how well all 3 representatives’ issues/positions match well or poorly with yours and why
Miscellaneous: Writing/Spelling/Grammar/Citation/Following The Rubric (3 points)
Total (15 points)
You must declare the specific zip code you’re using as a reference point. This way I can make sure that all 3 elected officials correspond with a specific geographic location. Please put it at the top of your essay with your name. Failing to do so will lead to losing the full 3 points in the “Miscellaneous” category of the rubric.
The paper should be 2-3 pages doublespaced. If you go over this amount, that is fine (but beware—exceeding the page limit often illustrates poor editing skills).
With the biographies, tell me a little more about this person’s life beyond just their name (possibilities include family, employment, previous elected positions, personal history, and so forth).
I’d prefer that you try and find 2 positions on issues for each of the 3 elected officials, but realize this might be difficult (especially for the local elected official). So: you can give me either positions on issues or mentions of issues they care about. Be sure to explain these positions or issues in detail; in other words, make sure you’re not just giving me vague bullet points. Great places to find this information include their official websites, their campaign websites, their social media, or even Google News.
With “position match,” you should discuss all 3 elected officials, declaring which (if any) hold similar positions to you or care about similar issues as you. You should feel free to state if you feel you’re being represented well or poorly. This is where you should feel free to include your opinions.
Please proofread carefully (spell check and grammar check in software programs won’t typically catch everything).
Late papers will lose 20 percent of the points possible for each 24 hour period following the due date.
Please cite your sources in the text clearly and regularly. I am open to whatever citation style you choose, so long as I have enough information to check on your sources if I so choose. Please include a Works Cited page as well. Papers that do not include a Works Cited page will lose the full 3 points in the “Miscellaneous” category of the rubric. Papers that do not cite sources will be returned ungraded with a request to be clearer about citation. Students will then have 96 hours (from the time I inform you of the problem) to fix citation issues without penalty. After that 96 hours, a lateness penalty would then start to accrue. The same system will be used for papers that excessively use material directly from sources without quoting or paraphrasing.
Partial credit is available.
Research MUST be original to this class (in other words, don’t repurpose a paper from another class).
Do NOT use AI software like ChatGPT to generate an essay. Essays I suspect of using this technology will be reported.
If you have further questions, email me for clarification.
